A video circulated on Tuesday of an Iraqi Shiite militia calling itself the “Ya Ali Popular Formations” attacking Syrian refugees in Iraq against the backdrop of the violence in western Syria.
“A security team has been formed to arrest those who attack Syrian citizens working in Iraq and commit violence and inappropriate acts against them,” Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, told Rudaw.
Numan said the team was formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, who on Wednesday condemned the attacks.
“We strongly condemn this criminal act, which violates all human and moral values and constitutes a blatant infringement on human dignity and rights – regardless of nationality or affiliation,” Sudani’s office cited Numan as saying.
The attacks drew the condemnation of Damascus. “We condemn the attacks on Syrians in Iraq, as these acts constitute a violation of human rights and international law,” the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement.
It called on Baghdad to pursue the perpetrators and hold them accountable.
On Wednesday, Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said that security agencies and intelligence departments recorded several incidents by foreign nationals that incited sectarian hate and violence.
“These actions are rejected, and those on Iraqi soil must respect the law and traditions of its people, and anyone who crosses the line will be handed over to the law,” Miri stressed.
Several Syrian refugees in Iraq have been arrested over the past week for allegedly supporting “extremist organizations.”
Loyalists of ousted Syrian dictator Assad on Thursday launched an attack on security forces affiliated with the new Syrian leadership in regions to the west of Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday reported that around 1,500 people, mostly Alawites, have been killed in the violence by government or government-affiliated forces.
